June 22, 2012

Discouraging day: 

1.  June bugs decimating the orchard - 100's and 100's of them.

2.  In the garden found the first Japanese beetles everywhere.

3.  Beautiful cucumber bush eaten by stink bugs - same fate as the cantelope bush yesterday.

4.  June bugs now infesting area behind garden by the barn - 100's of them.

5.  Customer comes for turnip greens - they're all dried up - she's a month late.

6.  Customer comes for 10 bushels of tomatoes - he's going to go to the guy down the road who grows 20,000 bushes!  Can't compete with that.

7.  Customer asks the price of honey.  We sell at the low end in the area because we're pretty secluded, but we have to charge at least $11.00 for a two pound jar and he just bought a quart jar for $11.00 from another beekeeper on the other side of town.  Can't compete with that.

8.  It's very, very hot.

9.  The sheep still not using their new quonset we built for them.  They rather would stand and pant in the sun.  Go figure.

10.  Joel won't share his ramen with me for lunch.

11.  Peter, my favorite cat is looking pretty sick.  He lies helplessly under a bush.

12.  Went to cut the lawn which looks horrible and the belt is broke.  Bought a new built - cost $34.00 - and went to put it on but we have to take the whole deck off the mower before putting the new one on.  Gave up.

13.  David will have to spend his weekend now putting on the new built on the lawnmower.

Things I'm Thankful For:

1.  I made traps with molasses and water and hung them in the fruit trees to capture and drown the june beetles.

2.  I made traps with molasses and water in jars and buried them in the lawn behind the garden to trap the june beetles.

3.  Joel was able to drive to the Small Engine Repair shop and buy the new belt for the lawnmower.  They had it in stock.

4.  Had two customers already today.

5.  Peter left the bush to come to the garden with me.  Maybe he's just having a bad day too.

6.  Joel is making me my own ramen for lunch.

7.  70 bushes of tomatoes are loaded with large green tomatoes to sell.

8.  The sheep did go in their new quonset hut once.

9.  David didn't have anything else planned for this weekend except to put a ceiling fan in Joel's bedroom before we get our exchange student from Spain this week.

10.  It's going to rain and make the lawn grow even more.

11. It's going to be only 88 degrees tomorrow instead of 98.

12.  Got to pick off the first Japanese beetles and throw them violently to their death in a bucket of water.

13.  I'm sitting in front of a nice cool fan.

June 15, 2012

Alot of new things at Rose Lane Farm.

The llamas and sheep are now enjoying the new pasture behind the house for the summer, full of lush grass and lots of shade:

Which means, the chickens can now enjoy being the barnyard on lovely grass and lots of room:

We also have two new kittens Olivia is really enjoying:

We have alot of new flowers blooming:

and we've had alot of new customers at our farm stand because of new signs we made to put by the road!  It pays to advertise!  We even sold out of beets today!

June 10, 2012

The lavender is blooming

The dog is faithfully on duty all around the farm

The bees are enjoying nectar everywhere

We are finally finishing the 6 acre fencing project started in April

But, there's always more work to bee done!!!  Honey extracting is beginning.....the garden needs weeding.....more lettuce to sow......the market to run......angora rabbits coming soon.......thinking about getting milk goats.......